HARRISONBURG, Va. - After overcoming a 14-point deficit against James Madison in the second half, the Tigers' hopes for their first CAA win of the season were dashed on a three-pointer by junior Ben Louis with 1.5 seconds left as the Dukes escaped with a 69-66 victory at the JMU Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
The win upped the Dukes' record to 8-7 overall and 2-3 in the CAA. Meanwhile, the Tigers drop to 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the CAA.
"It was the changing of our defenses that created the opportunity to win the game at the end," said Tiger coach Pat Kennedy of his squad's 18-2 run that erased JMU's 54-40 lead and put Towson ahead by two, 58-56, with 5:58 left ot play. There were three lead changes and three ties from there with the Dukes prevailing on Louis' three-point basket.
With the end of regulation nearing, senior Pierre Curtis hit Louis in the near corner with a pass, allowing him to hit the game-winning shot with 1.5 seconds remaining. Earlier Louis beat the buzzer with a trey that sent the Dukes into the lockeroom with a 34-29 lead at halftime..
Led by 11 points from freshman Isaiah Philmore and senior Calvin Lee, the Tigers battled JMU to a 15-15 stalemate in the opening six minutes. Making the first start of his college career, Philmore scored six points while Lee contributed five points.
However, the teams struggled from that point and failed to score for the ensuing five minutes until sophomore RaShawn Polk scored on a short jumper to ignite a quick 7-0 run by the Tigers, giving Towson a 22-15 lead with 7:35 remaining.
The Dukes ended a nearly eight-minute scoring drought on a three-point play by junior Denzel Bowles with 7:12 left, cutting the JMU deficit to 22-18.
From there, the Dukes outscored the Tigers by 16-8 to take a 34-29 advantage into the intermission.
The Dukes continued their strong play to open the second half, scoring seven quick points in the first three minutes for a 41-29 advantage. Sophomore Julius Wells scored five of the Dukes' seven points during the spurt.
The teams exchanged baskets four times before back-to-back lay-ups by Bowles gave the Dukes a 14-point advantage at 51-37 with 13:14 left in the period.
After the teams traded three-point plays, the Tigers used an 18-2 run over a span of six minutes to erase the deficit and take a 58-56 advantage with 5:53 remaining in regulation. Junior forward Robert Nwankwo scored seven of the Tigers' points during the run.
After the teams battled to tie the game at 66-66 with 1:37 remaining, the Tigers had an opportunity to earn the win in the final minute. But, they missed two field goal attempts to give James Madison one final possession.
Louis was one of five Dukes to score in double figures. While Wells scored a game-high 23 points, Bowles added 21 points, including 14 in the second half, along with a team-high eight rebounds. White also contributed 10 points for the Dukes, who beat the Tigers for the third time in the last four meetings.
Nwankwo recorded his fifth "double double" of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Lee added 12 points with 7 rebounds. Junior Jarrel Smith came off the bench with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
The Tigers will return home on Wednesday night to host Drexel University in the Towson Center at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Dukes will travel to William & Mary on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. clash against the Tribe.
